Last night my agency confirmed that I was to go to the foster mother's house by 9:00 to see my son. Emi told me that if things went well my son would spend the night. IHNFA was going to call in the afternoon to see how things were going.
Ali and I were both up early due to the bright sun and birds. So we enjoyed our breakfast and then waited for our taxi. I am using the same taxi driver we used last time because he is trustworthy and he knows where the foster mother's house is. I don't even have an address so I was glad that the taxi driver remembered.
Once we arrived at the foster mother's I knew something wasn't right because she was confused and kept saying that she had to call IHNFA. I told the taxi to come back in one hour and Ali and I went inside. It was several minutes before my son came out. I could tell that he was feeling shy and nervous. Ali was also feeling nervous and was acting out a bit and complaining that she wanted to leave. We waited while the foster mother called IHNFA but she could not get a hold of the case worker so I gave her the phone number of the lawyer in Tegu. The lawyer told the foster mother that we should go to the mall. I didn't want to go to the mall and suggested that we go back to the hotel where we could have lunch and play in the playground or pool. So we went with my son and the foster mother.
The difficult part is that all this conversation was taking place in Spanish and while I have been studying the language, I just don't know enough to have complicated conversations about lawyers and IHNFA. I am good with " I like apples" and " I want to go to the store" but after that forget it. So once we were back at the hotel, I called Emi in Quebec to find out what was happening. Why was the foster mother with us and when was I going to have my son to myself for a few hours? Emi, with my adoption agency, speaks English, Spanish and French so I knew she could talk to the foster mother to figure this out. So after a 20 minute conversation ($$$$$$$$) Emi told me that IHNFA had not called the foster mother to give her instructions and the foster mother could not leave the child until this is done. Seems that no one could get hold of the case worker so I could not have my son at the hotel without the foster mother. The lawyer was going to get hold of IHNFA to see if I could have my son tomorrow and then have him stay overnight. We are now waiting until tomorrow to see where things are at.
The only thing I know is that my Dad is arriving at 11:00 and I promised I would be at the airport to meet him. So it will just be Ali and myself going and we will go back to the foster mother's house in the afternoon.
The time we did spend with my son was great. We went to a grocery store so I could pick some things up and I bought a ball. He loved the ball and played for a long time with Ali. We also played with some cars I brought with me and he did some colouring.
The foster mother and my son left at three and Ali and I headed to the pool. It was extremely hot today and the pool brought some welcome relief. Ali spent about 5 hours in the pool with her new friend that she met yesterday.
Enjoy photos from today. Note: I won't post photos of my son until the adoption papers are signed. This is based on other people's experiences with adoptions from other countries. I just don't want to push my luck.
Ali and I were both up early due to the bright sun and birds. So we enjoyed our breakfast and then waited for our taxi. I am using the same taxi driver we used last time because he is trustworthy and he knows where the foster mother's house is. I don't even have an address so I was glad that the taxi driver remembered.
Once we arrived at the foster mother's I knew something wasn't right because she was confused and kept saying that she had to call IHNFA. I told the taxi to come back in one hour and Ali and I went inside. It was several minutes before my son came out. I could tell that he was feeling shy and nervous. Ali was also feeling nervous and was acting out a bit and complaining that she wanted to leave. We waited while the foster mother called IHNFA but she could not get a hold of the case worker so I gave her the phone number of the lawyer in Tegu. The lawyer told the foster mother that we should go to the mall. I didn't want to go to the mall and suggested that we go back to the hotel where we could have lunch and play in the playground or pool. So we went with my son and the foster mother.
The difficult part is that all this conversation was taking place in Spanish and while I have been studying the language, I just don't know enough to have complicated conversations about lawyers and IHNFA. I am good with " I like apples" and " I want to go to the store" but after that forget it. So once we were back at the hotel, I called Emi in Quebec to find out what was happening. Why was the foster mother with us and when was I going to have my son to myself for a few hours? Emi, with my adoption agency, speaks English, Spanish and French so I knew she could talk to the foster mother to figure this out. So after a 20 minute conversation ($$$$$$$$) Emi told me that IHNFA had not called the foster mother to give her instructions and the foster mother could not leave the child until this is done. Seems that no one could get hold of the case worker so I could not have my son at the hotel without the foster mother. The lawyer was going to get hold of IHNFA to see if I could have my son tomorrow and then have him stay overnight. We are now waiting until tomorrow to see where things are at.
The only thing I know is that my Dad is arriving at 11:00 and I promised I would be at the airport to meet him. So it will just be Ali and myself going and we will go back to the foster mother's house in the afternoon.
The time we did spend with my son was great. We went to a grocery store so I could pick some things up and I bought a ball. He loved the ball and played for a long time with Ali. We also played with some cars I brought with me and he did some colouring.
The foster mother and my son left at three and Ali and I headed to the pool. It was extremely hot today and the pool brought some welcome relief. Ali spent about 5 hours in the pool with her new friend that she met yesterday.
Enjoy photos from today. Note: I won't post photos of my son until the adoption papers are signed. This is based on other people's experiences with adoptions from other countries. I just don't want to push my luck.
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| The playground iguana |
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| Collecting garbage |
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| I asked for a room close to the pool and I got it. I took this picture from the door to our room. |
What a frustrating day but glad you got some time in with your son. Hope tomorrow is smoother. Love the pictures!
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